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During the war-time, as a result of evacuation, domiciliary confinements
in the Borough fell materially but quickly reached normal
figures at the termination of risk.
In 1948 the National Health Service Act transferred the function
of providing a Domiciliary Midwifery Service to the County Council,
which became a Health Authority, and since this date midwives
practising in the Borough have been wholly employed by the County
Council, and the service has been provided for participants without
charge to them.
HOSPITALS.
In 1937 the Borough Council itself was responsible under the
Public Health Act, 1936, for the treatment in hospital of notifiable
infectious diseases, and to this end arrangements were made with the
Acton Borough Council for the use of their hospital to accept
infectious diseases occurring in Wembley and requiring hospital
treatment.
The Local Government Act of 1929, placed upon County Councils
the duty of providing beds of a general hospital character within
their area, and Middlesex, under this Act, provided for the Wembley
district two hospitals—(1) The Redhill Hospital at Edgware, and
(2) The Central Middlesex Hospital at Park Royal. The voluntary
provision of hospital beds continued alongside this until the National
Health Service Act of 1946. Under Part II of this Act, the whole
of the hospital beds in the country, voluntary, County Council, and
Local Authority, were transferred to the Minister, who was to be
responsible henceforward for all hospital services. The North-West
Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board was formed and included
within its territory the Wembley area, for the provision of all hospital
services. Changes of an administrative character have occurred but
so far in the area there has been little provision of additional beds.
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